Every new arrival wants to know if they can survive or live well in Thailand on X thousand baht a month?
It's a difficult question because each person has different needs. However, the following surveys and figures are from teachers actually working here! How much do they earn and what do they spend their money on?. And after each case study, I've added comments of my own.
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Approximate Thai Baht (฿) conversion rates as of 24th December 2024
฿34 to one US Dollar฿43 to one Pound Sterling
฿36 to one Euro
฿21 to one Australian Dollar
฿0.59 THB to one Philippine Peso
John
Working in Songkhla
Monthly Earnings 35,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I am employed by an agency to work at a school in Songkhla and my salary is 35,000 baht for 18 contact hours a week.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Almost impossible to save anything.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
6,500 baht a month for a two-room house with a western kitchen
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
The car itself is paid for and gasoline and insurance run to about 40,000 baht a year.
Utility bills
The bills for water, electricity, internet and health insurance are about 3,000 baht a month.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
Markets near Songhla offer cheap fresh seafood, the most middle class restaurants charge 80 - 150 Baht for one dish. (John did not offer a monthly figure)
Nightlife and drinking
Nightlife in Songkhla is very expensive if you take part in the Western bar scene. 80 Baht for a small Leo is normal, but there are much better offers in the local pubs and beach restaurants and in the Chinese old town
Books, computers
John did not answer this question.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
The fantastic atmosphere in town, the beautiful nature and isolated beaches and the friendly people don't pay my bills.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Fresh seafood from local fishermen.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Considering the future and payments for pension: a single person needs 60,000 baht and a family mother/father needs 100,000. A backpacker in search of experience and no worries about his retirement would be able to survive on 30,000 baht.
Phil's analysis and comment
I would agree with John's assessment in the last answer. So it sounds as if John clearly knows that what he is earning just isn't enough - not to secure a future anyway.
Eating fresh locally caught seafood and walking along isolated beaches all sounds very nice but time is sure to catch up with you eventually if you are living a month to month existence. Perhaps John doesn't plan to stay here long term anyway.
Lou
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 44,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
My full-time salary is 44,000 baht a month
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Usually around 14,000 baht
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I pay 5,000 baht a month for a 31sqm apartment 650 metres from the MRT. It's in the city centre and convenient for five shopping malls.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
1,200 baht
Utility bills
800 - 1,600 baht
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
MI spend about 5,000 baht on food plus another 1,200 for my wife's food.
Nightlife and drinking
This usually consists of just dinners out for 1,500 baht a month.
Books, computers
600 baht a month
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
We live very simply yet comfortably. We go to a restaurant once a week. I really like the flat, we've been here six years. I've no need for nightlife. All our disposable income goes for travel. Wife pays 50 baht a day. I pay much of everything else. She pitches in with many travel expenses.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
Having just returned from US, everything is a bargain save for quality clothes, shoes and electronics.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Survive? I could survive on about 25,000 if I wasn't working. That would include everything down to visas, runs, booze, even dental.
Phil's analysis and comment
This is a survey from someone who lives 'as well as he possibly can' on 30,000 baht a month (he saves 14,000 of that 44,000 salary remember) I just don't think it's enough for Bangkok these days.
Steve
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 140,000
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I work as a director at an international school and my salary is 140,000 after tax.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Realistically, I could save 100,000 baht a month, but I save around 80,000. About half of that goes to retirement and the other half goes to savings, from which some will be taken for vacations. If I wanted to live more frugally I certainly could, but I am trying to strike a balance.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I live in a two-bedroom apartment, and pay 20,000 a month, which also covers utilities (power, water, internet).
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
I take the taxi to work, and that runs about 1,000 per month. There's the occasional BTS ride. Call it 2,000 all in.
Utility bills
My utilities are about 5,000 a month, as I like to keep my apartment cool (I also think that my rate is too high, but I am moving soon).
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
Food is easy. I give myself 500 baht a day to spend on food and other items. Anything that I don't spend gets rolled over, and often at the end of the week I can treat myself to a meal at the French restaurant down the street and still be within this range
Nightlife and drinking
I go downtown about once a month, so that's another 2,000 for a fun night out. Counting this, and after I have paid student loans and funded my accounts, generally I am left with 10,000 or so extra, some of which I spend at Foodland and some of which goes to the occasional weekend getaway. Either that or it gets rolled over into the next month.
Books, computers
As far as books and computers I own a Kindle and a laptop, so that works for entertainment. I'll be buying a new computer soon, so video games will be coming back into my life...
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
I live comfortably. I could live extravagantly, but got used to simpler things when I was in the Peace Corps. I have enough to eat, enough to do, and am able to save a lot. Things are good here.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
The street food. There are days when I spend less than 200 baht, all in, and do just fine. Taxi rides are also inexpensive. I also get a massage every week. An hour for 300 baht (including tip) is an incredible bargain.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Honestly, if you want to enjoy Bangkok, 50,000-60,000 is a minimum.
Phil's analysis and comment
Even though Steve earns a great salary, he's clearly very sensible with his money. He's looking after his future and making hay while the sun shines. A very commendable set of figures there!
If anyone fancies doing a cost of living survey, I've now put the questions on-line to make it easier and quicker for you. Please spare half an hour if you can.
A number of teachers complete the surveys with just a list of figures. I don't wish to sound ungrateful but that's not really what we're looking for. There needs to be some sort of 'story' behind the figures as it were (it certainly makes the surveys more interesting to read) Many thanks!
Robert
Working in Kanchanaburi
Monthly Earnings 80-85,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
My salary is 39,300 plus a 3,000 housing allowance. I teach privately in my house 4 - 5.30 Monday to Thursday and Saturday/Sunday 9.30 - 12. I have 30 students in these group classes and it brings in around 40,000. So in total about 80,000 - 85,000 per month
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
Right now we have no savings due to a trip to England and moving house, however we should be able to save 20 - 25,000 baht a month.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
I live in a small town, so housing is really cheap. I have a 3-bedroom detached house with a garden (including a mango tree) western kitchen, two bathrooms, two air-cons. The rent is 6.500. Unbelievable bargain.
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
Car payments 9,100 per month (1 year to go) and 2,000 on petrol.
Utility bills
1,000 - 2,000 for electric. 600 for water. 700 for internet.
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
6,000 baht for the big monthly shop (baby milk and nappies included) Eating out comes to about 3,000 a month. My girlfriend and I cook at home mostly and shop in the local markets.
Nightlife and drinking
No nightlife in my town so I don't go out.
Books, computers
I spend about 5,000 a month on materials for my teaching at home. Insurance for the car, children, school fees for my eldest daughter, these things all must be saved for (I pay 70,000 for health insurances for the kids per year. 36,000 for school etc, etc.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
We live a relatively comfortable life but even with my extra classes I could still do with a bit more. A yearly trip to England, and insurances as previously mentioned really take a big chunk out of our funds. But we do have enough for a nice life here. Also things will improve when my youngest goes to school and my girlfriend can work again, and when we finish the payments for the car!
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
My house. Its beautiful and cheaper than any room I rented in Bangkok. Also, good food. Saturday afternoons we always go out for a meal and eat enough for six people, its never more than 600-700 baht!
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Obviously children change it all. I live in the countryside and have a large salary in comparison to most teachers with my qualifications (I do not have a pgce, only a BA) Right now we can manage everything but I still would like money in the bank for a rainy day. For us 80,000 will be perfect once the car has been paid for. But I could not live in Bangkok with this salary. That's for sure!
Phil's analysis and comment
Interesting survey Rob. I enjoyed that one. Wow! you sure have those private students organised. Just out of interest, there must be the odd Thai -run weekend tutor school in your town. How do they react when they see thirty kids queuing up at your door every weekend? Is there any jealousy there because you are obviously doing things right?
I like that last comment - "children change it all". I've always felt that the decision to have children or to not have children is the single biggest decision you can make in life. I bet you would probably agree eh Rob?
Good luck. Get those car payments finished and get the girlfriend back in work and it will be plain sailing from then on.
Henry
Working in Bangkok
Monthly Earnings 136,000 baht
Q1. How much do you earn from teaching per month?
I work at a middle of the road international school. My monthly net salary from my main job, including a housing allowance is 118k. I also teach 3 hours of private tuition on Saturday mornings at 1.5k per hour. Fortunately my tutees don't cancel. So monthly total net income is approximately 136k.
Q2. How much of that can you realistically save per month?
I try hard to save both because I love to travel and I'm terrified of reaching retirement age without having enough to stop working. At the moment I can bank 80-85k per month.
Q3. How much do you pay for your accommodation and what do you live in exactly (house, apartment, condo)?
17k for an 80 sqm 1-bedroom condo. I split the cost of this with my girlfriend (She is Thai and works as an accountant earning slightly less than I do).
Q4. What do you spend a month on the following things?
Transportation
Not a lot. I live close enough to work to be able to walk.
Utility bills
Electricity (approx 1.5k) Water (200) Internet (600) - unfortunately our building owner considers it fair to charge double the official rate for electricity and water
Food - both restaurants and supermarket shopping
Henry did not answer this question
Nightlife and drinking
Approx 4k - which is a lot less than when I first arrived in Thailand. I probably have a big night out twice a month (it used to be twice a week)
Books, computers
Almost nothing - my school has a well stocked library and a computer is something I only replace when necessary.
Q5. How would you summarize your standard of living in one sentence?
Good. Although I live in Bangkok, I don't feel like I live a big city life. This is because I live slightly outside the centre in HuayKwang. The upside of this is my condo is probably 50% cheaper than it would be if it were on Sukhumvit.
Q6. What do you consider to be a real 'bargain' here?
In the last 6 months things have changed. The dramatic fall in the pound (my home currency) means that for a Brit, Thailand isn't so cheap anymore. I actually buy clothes and electronics when I'm 'home' in England now as they're cheaper there. That being said... Bangkok taxis are still fantastically cheap.
Q7. In your opinion, how much money does anyone need to earn here in order to survive?
Survive... 25k. Have a reasonable life... 50k. Live reasonably well and be able to save to 'survive' when you hit 65... 90k
Phil's analysis and comment
I certainly agree with your final comment Henry. And when you've got a joint income of 250,000 coming into the household each month, then you are going to have a very nice life. Having a Thai partner who earns a good salary and can financially stand on his / her own two feet is a huge bonus.
Showing 5 Cost of Living surveys out of 437 total
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